I am new to the forum but not to Bengals. I am currently waiting for my new kitten/s to get big enough to take home. The kittens are currently on chicken soup for the soul kitten food with the breeder but I am planning on raw feeding using a mix of franken prey and whole prey and wanted to know if anyone here has a good online source in the US for frozen mice and day old chicks?

I have experience with the transition from dry to raw with an older Bengal who was a massive pain in the butt and i'm hoping it goes a little smoother with these little guys.

Welcome to our forum! There are lots of great experienced members here who are great resources for new bengal owners like us.

Hopefully you have read the thread in the "Choosing" sub-forum that talks all about what to look for when choosing a bengal breeder. Lots of things to consider here- this might include whether the breeder offers a pedigree, whether breeder offers a health guarantee, whether breeder checks for congenital diseases in their kings/queens, and the list goes on.

In terms of your question about frozen feeder mice and frozen chicks- This is a little odd. Do you plan on thawing out little mice and chicks and feeding them to your cat? As a former reptile owner, I would probably not recommend this as it will be VERY messy & because there are better venues if you want to feed your cat raw food. Mystic posted a great video on how to make your own raw cat food (video and all), or there are plenty of commercially available raw foods in tubs (some come in patty form, some it's just meat/bones/organs).

If you are in the U.S, I know one of our members feeds Radcat raw food, so you could check that brand out. And in regards to switching your kitten to raw food, I would give it some time before you attempt to do this. Keep your kitten on the same kitten food from the breeder for at least a few weeks and let your kitten settle in and get comfortable before you start messing with his food. Same goes for litter/litter tray- keep it the same as what the breeder was doing.

Lastly, most health guarantee contracts will state that it is mandatory to bring your kitten to a vet within the first 72 hours of receiving them to ensure they are in good health. This is something that I think all new owners must do. I chose to do a fecal sample as well just because I wanted to make sure he was parasite/TF free.

Matt... thanks for the info, i have been lurking on the site for a few weeks now. I have been searching for the right breeder for just under a year and the one I have chosen does supply all the testing for the kittens and parents, as well as the pedigree and all that good stuff.

As for the messy aspect of feeding mice and other whole prey, I have a large enclosed patio that is very easy to clean. I transitioned my rescue bengal, Billy, to whole prey when he was 6yrs old, it was a struggle at first to get him off dry and wet but he is now 13yrs old and still extremely healthy on a diet of mice, chicks, quail, rabbit and the occassional chicken wing or gizzard.

I was asking about an online source for the mice and chicks because the local supplier i've been using just raised their prices through the roof.

Jacqueline... I don't understand what you think the joke is, perhaps you have never heard of feeding whole prey? Last I checked cats have been eating mice and birds for a very long time.

Welcome to our forum! Know that you may be the ONLY member here wanting to feed live prey to your bengal -- although one recent member was talking about goldfish. Understand that cats who live outdoors must rely on live prey to survive. A domestic bengal does not! I think it is cruel to try to find day old chicks to feed to your cat. Freeze-dried mice, maybe not so much! But, it's your kitten. I just think allowing a cat to terrorize a small chick or even a live mice is just inhumane and it seems to be more for your entertainment than anything else. A bengal is a cat, plain a simple. Just because way down the generation line, there was an ALC does not mean your kitten needs to eat like a wild cat. This is my opinion only.

Glad you clarified that, fizzy. I also pictured the chicks and mice being terrorized to death. I do not like any live animals being fed to others, just the thought of it makes me sick. I love all creatures. I was in animal rescue for a long time, too.

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